


Something Special

by foobar137



Series: The Fletcher-Flynn Foundation [7]
Category: Phineas and Ferb
Genre: Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, F/M, First Time, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-17
Updated: 2013-03-05
Packaged: 2017-11-29 15:27:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/688505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foobar137/pseuds/foobar137
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Phineas and Isabella have been dating for two years now, and decide it’s time to take their relationship further physically. They’re apparently not the only ones with similar ideas, which causes its own set of problems. M-rated tale of Phinbella, Balinger, and a bit of Ferbetchen, set about a month before Founding the Foundation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this one needs a bit more warning than my other stories.
> 
> Basically: if you didn't notice earlier, this is M rated for strong language and strong sexual content between 16- and 17-year-olds. While I am shooting for M and not MA/E, I'm a bit fuzzy on exactly where the line is. It’s marked as ‘Underage’ because, while I personally consider 16+ reasonable for what they’re doing, the tags aren’t for my benefit, they’re for the readers who may not agree with my assessment.
> 
> Anything necessary for following later stories in the timeline that shows up in this one will be described later as needed. I do not intend to make this required reading to follow future stories.
> 
> Pairings: Phineas/Isabella as the primary focus, with Baljeet/Ginger and Ferb/Gretchen as secondary. Candace/Jeremy, Django/Adyson, and Buford/Milly show up in the background. (I’m using the pairings from Lowrider’s “Summer of Love”, but not necessarily the same way.)
> 
> Timeline: June/July of the summer between junior and senior years of high school. Two years after Back in Time for Dinner; about a month before Founding the Foundation. Isabella, Baljeet, Ginger, and Gretchen are all seventeen at the start of the story; Phineas and Ferb are sixteen.

Phineas’s breath was hot against her as he kissed her lips, her neck, her shoulders. Their clothes had vanished and his hands were all over her, stroking her sides, caressing her breasts, rubbing between her legs. She pulled him to her, and he was inside her, holding her, stroking within her, so hot against her as her orgasm swept over her like a wave...

Isabella lay back in bed, her breathing slowing as she came down from the orgasm, and turned off her vibrator. Her mother had provided it, along with a birth-control prescription, shortly after she’d started dating Phineas two years ago. “Better to have things dealt with properly before they’re needed,” Mom had said, despite Isabella turning beet-red several times during _that_ conversation.

She’d been grateful to be able to skip her period due to the prescription, but the vibrator had sat in her drawer, unused, for over a year as she and Phineas had figured out their relationship. So far, they had gone no further than some rather fervent necking. As the two of them got older, however, she found herself drawn more and more to the idea of getting physical with him. With her own seventeenth birthday three months in the past and Phineas’s coming up soon, her hormones were making the somewhat terrifying idea seem irresistible. She’d initially taken out the vibrator a few months back to try to take the edge off of them, but now it seemed to be amplifying them instead. Her mother’s encouragement didn’t help matters - she’d swear her mother actually wanted her to sleep with Phineas, or at least assumed she already had.

_I really need to talk to Phineas about this._

She didn't think he'd object. He hadn’t seemed averse to touching her - their recent make-out session by her pool had had them both in swimsuits, and she could tell he’d definitely been interested. But the idea of going further was frightening. It felt like a land mine sitting right in the path of their relationship, and she wasn’t sure how to get past it.

* * *

Phineas was thinking of his girlfriend, Isabella. Her incredible blue eyes which had that special sparkle only for him. Her long, black hair that smelled of lavender. The feel of her body pressed up against his when they kissed, and the way they seemed to fit together perfectly. The incredible sensation of skin against skin when she’d worn that bikini last time they’d made out by her pool, and the feel of the side of her breast as he’d stroked his hand up and down her side...he wandered into imagination from there, of untying her bikini and exploring each other...he gasped as his orgasm hit him, leaning against the wall of the shower.

He opened his eyes and let go of his fading erection, letting the water wash over him as he calmed down again. He’d needed to get that out of the way for the morning; Isabella would be over after breakfast, as usual, and would end up sitting in his lap, as usual. And he was going to get aroused by having his gorgeous girlfriend sitting in his lap, as usual. If he dealt with matters in his morning shower, at least it made it less difficult to restrain himself.

_We need to talk about this. I just hope I don’t make her run away screaming at the perverse thoughts her boyfriend has about her._

_I’ve been trying to figure out how to talk to her about this for over a month now. Carpe diem, right?_

His thoughts were distracted by a pounding on the bathroom door. From the other side, Ferb’s voice said, “Hurry it up in there before all the hot water’s gone.”

* * *

Phineas sat against the large tree in the backyard, pondering the day. So many opportunities, so many things to try. He was interrupted by a welcome voice.

“What’cha doin?” Isabella asked.

He looked over at the gate, where he was still stunned every day by what he saw. Isabella was as beautiful now as she’d been cute when they were younger, and that had been cuteness that literally broke the meter. Shapeless pink dresses had given way to fitted blouses, unbuttoned just low enough to show a hint of cleavage, and snug shorts that showed quite a bit of attractive leg. He was continuously amazed that she’d chosen to put up with him for all this time.

"Still thinking," he said. "No ideas yet. Ferb's still eating breakfast."

"Want some company?"

"Always, as long as it's you," he smiled at her.

She came over to him and took up her usual position in his lap, giving him a slow, lingering kiss, her body molding into his like it was made to fit up against him just so. As the kiss ended and they smiled at each other, he tried to figure out how to broach the subject of going further.

His brain blindly groped for the right words, something to convey how much he wanted to do with her, but he couldn’t find the magic phrase. He searched for any words to start the conversation, but there was nothing.

The back door opened and Ferb came out. He shook his head and sighed at the two of them curled together under the tree, and came to sit next to them.

_I’ll try tomorrow,_ Phineas thought.


	2. Caught in the Act

Baljeet carefully drove up the dark and winding road into the Danville Hills, his girlfriend Ginger sitting beside him. They had been taking advantage of her parents’ work schedules to have time alone together at her house during the day, but Ginger’s father had ended up on the night shift for two weeks, leaving them with no privacy just as they were reaching new levels of intimacy in their relationship.

They had found some privacy up at Vista Point in the hills twice before. The first time, they had kissed and stroked each other in back seat of Baljeet’s car, but hadn’t taken any clothing off in case somebody had come by. The second time, however, they decided that since nobody had come by the first time, they could do more, and had ended up making love for the first time in the cargo area created by folding down the back seat.

Baljeet was still worried about getting caught, but with Ginger’s father on night shift for at least another week, she had easily persuaded him to try again. He was eager to once again experience the intense feelings their first time had caused in him - passion for the young woman he loved, and a tender closeness with her in the afterglow, short as it was before concerns for their position intruded on his brain again.

They reached Vista Point, which was empty as usual. The lights of the city beckoned them from below, but their eyes were only for each other. He was, as always, enthralled by Ginger’s dark eyes and lustrous black hair, and wondered anew why she was so fascinated with him. He leaned over to kiss her, but she quickly broke away. She clambered back into the flat cargo area in the back of his car, and beckoned him back with her.

“Are you sure about this, Ginger?” he asked.

“Even more sure than I was last time. Our first time was amazing, and I’m sure the second will be even better.”

He needed no more prompting to slide down next to the Japanese girl and take her in his arms. Just holding her was incredible, and at times he’d have been content just to do that. Her kisses, however, woke up more than just his lips, and he found himself caressing her breasts through her thin blouse as he nibbled at the nape of her neck.

The buttons of her blouse opened quickly to his deft fingers, and she shrugged it off and set it aside. Her bra followed immediately, and she reached over to pull his shirt off as well and add it to the pile. They embraced again, and now he could feel her soft warm skin against his own. Her hands ran up and down his bare back, causing his eyes to roll back in his head; she laughed at the effect and moved a hand between them to stroke his chest. He took advantage of the separation to slide his hand onto her breast, gently flicking the nipple with his thumb.

His hand slid down her side and under her short skirt, causing her to gasp as he rubbed her through her underwear. He kept rubbing; her hand froze where it was as her eyes closed, drinking in the sensations he was causing in her. He pulled his hand away just long enough to start lowering her panties; she helped slide them down her legs and kicked them off into a corner of the cargo area.

His hand returned to where it had been, causing her to whimper with need. “Oh...yes...I need you, Baljeet,” she whispered. “Now.”

He needed no more prompting by this point.  His pants and underwear were quickly around his knees as he was kneeling between her legs, and she sighed with pleasure as she pulled him down to her.

* * *

Officer George Hirano, Danville Police Department, cursed whatever God had put him on night-time patrol for two weeks in a row. He’d much rather be home right now, spending time with his wife. They were finally getting some alone time now that his oldest daughter, Stacy, was off at college, and the younger one, Ginger, was spending her time with her boyfriend Baljeet.

Baljeet seemed like a pretty good kid, even to his jaded fatherly eye. He was even more studious than Ginger, and that was saying something; he always treated her with respect, and the two of them seemed deeply in love with one another. Much better than that weird musician that Stacy had fallen for.

He sighed as he drove along the road through the Danville Hills. _Hm. A car parked at Vista Point. Some young couple gone parking. Time to roust ‘em out and send ‘em home._

He pulled up behind the car and radioed in to the station. “Dispatch from Hirano, I’m at Vista Point where there is a silver Honda Civic that’s rocking just a bit. Danville license plate Victor Mary Adam three two four.”

“Hirano, this is Dispatch, we show that car registered to a Raviramesh Tjinder.” _Tjinder? Shit! That’s Baljeet’s father. I didn’t recognize it in this light, but that’s definitely Baljeet’s car. Baljeet, you sneaky little...I never suspected you’d..._

Another officer came over the radio - Chuck, the biggest blabbermouth in the department. “Hey, George, ain’t your daughter dating the Tjinder boy?”

_Dammit! Chuck, you son of a bitch! Well, the rumor mill will be nicely spun up now. Nice job, George. Procedure says to radio in whenever you get out of the car, and now everybody with a scanner knows your daughter’s banging her boyfriend in the backseat._

Muttering under his breath, George got out of his car and pulled out his flashlight, which he pointed into the back window of the Civic.

* * *

Ginger could feel Baljeet getting closer and closer to his peak as his hips rocked back and forth, his gasps and moans increasing in frequency. She wasn’t quite so close yet, but wasn’t concerned; after he had finished last time, he had made sure her needs were _well_ taken care of with his dextrous fingers.

A light shone into the back window, a bright white from a flashlight. Outside, she heard her father’s voice saying, “Baljeet, I hope for your sake that somebody stole your car and took it for a joyride.”

* * *

Baljeet cowered in the driver's seat as his girlfriend's father loomed over his open door. They had hurriedly gotten dressed as best they could and gotten into the front seats of the car at her father's request; Ginger's underwear was still somewhere in the cargo area, but they hadn't had time to look for it further.

"Okay, here's what's going to happen now. You," Officer Hirano pointed at Baljeet, "are going to drive her," pointing at Ginger, "home. Directly. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200. I will be calling her mother to expect her. After that, you will drive to your house. My wife will be calling your parents, telling them to expect you. We will deal with all of this in the morning."

"Yes, sir." Baljeet nodded in terrified agreement.

"Okay. Go. I've got calls to make." He closed the door and walked back toward his patrol car.

Baljeet carefully put the car in reverse and backed out, then turned down the road toward Ginger's house.

They rode in silence for a couple minutes before Ginger spoke. "Baljeet, I am so sorry..."

"It is I who should be sorry, Ginger. While Vista Point was your idea, it only occurred to you because I had been pushing to see how far we could go together."

"You weren't pushing, Baljeet. I wanted it just as much as you did." She reached over and took his hand. "Maybe we can be sorry together?" she said with a faint smile.

"It certainly sounds better than being sorry apart, which seems highly likely."

She nodded glumly.

Baljeet squeezed her hand, glancing over at her. "When they are figuring out our punishment, please offer them whatever they want for us to stay together. I would be content to just be able to sit next to you if that is all they will allow us to do."

"I don't know if I’d be _content_ , but I will certainly take that over not being able to see you again," Ginger said sadly.

They drove on in silence. He looked over at her again, hoping tonight was not their last time together.

* * *

Ginger was on the verge of crying when they pulled up in front of her house. Baljeet put the car in park, then leaned over to give her a hug.

“We will get through this,” he said. “I love you. Never forget that.”

She wrapped her arms around him as if to hold him forever. “I won’t. I promise. I love you too.”

The front door to her house opened; her mother was silhouetted in the doorway by the lights inside the house.

Ginger reluctantly let go of Baljeet, giving him one last kiss before she opened the car door. He clasped her hand as she got out. “Whatever it takes, we stay together,” he said. “Give them whatever they want so long as we can see each other.”

“I will,” she said, and let go of his hand. “I love you,” she said, and closed the car door.

Ginger took a deep breath as he drove off. She watched him until his car turned the corner, then shuffled slowly toward the front door.

Mom was waiting there, her arms crossed across her chest. She closed the door behind Ginger, and said, “Assume you’re grounded until further notice. Give me your phone.”

Ginger pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and handed it over.

“Okay. Go to bed. We’ll talk in the morning.”

Ginger clomped up the stairs to her room, closing the door behind her. Her laptop was gone, presumably stored in the same place as her phone.

The tears finally came out as she lay on the bed, her fears of losing her true love forever taking over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe it’s just me, but I’m amused that George is the only character I have who swears. (Then again, under the circumstances, I probably would have been swearing too.)
> 
> (Okay, I had Ferb say ‘dammit’ once, but it was extenuating circumstances.)


	3. The Reckoning

Ginger lay sprawled across her bed. She hadn’t slept well, but eventually exhaustion had overcome fear. She’d spent the morning in exile in her room; she had heard her parents talking below - sometimes to each other, sometimes, apparently, on the phone. _Figuring out how to punish us, probably. Oh, Baljeet. What have I done to you? I hope they’ll let us stay together. I think I’d die without you._

She was startled by a knock on the door. “What?” she asked petulantly.

Her mother answered, “It’s Mom and Dad. Time to talk about last night. Can we come in?”

“Does it matter what I say?”

“If you’d rather wait, we can, but I think you’ll want to get this over with.”

“Fine. Come in.”

The door swung open, and her parents entered. Dad glowered at her, while Mom looked calm.

Mom started the conversation. “So, about last night. Your father and I are very concerned about your actions.”

Dad jumped in, asking, “What were you _thinking?_ ”

Mom gave Dad a look, and continued, “While it’s not likely to cause a criminal charge, what you were doing was, legally, indecent exposure, and if you had been caught by an officer who wanted to make your father look bad, you could have been arrested. A district attorney who wanted to prove he’s not a puppet of the police department could have chosen to make an example out of you. A prosecution like that wouldn’t look good on either of your college applications.”

Ginger’s blood ran cold. _I could have messed up Baljeet’s college dreams. He’d never forgive me._

Mom kept talking. “We have talked with Baljeet’s parents, and worked out a suitable punishment and a plan going forward.”

Ginger decided it was time to beg. “Whatever you do, please don’t make me break up with Baljeet. Even if you say that all we can do is hold hands until we go to college, I’ll take that as long as I get to keep seeing him.”

Ginger had expected Dad to approve of this solution, but instead, his face softened at her outburst. “You really love that boy, don’t you?” he asked.

“I do, Dad. More than I ever thought possible.”

Mom smiled, and glanced at her watch. “I don’t think that would be a productive punishment. The goal here is not to set you up for failure, and I suspect that restrictions like that would have you up at Vista Point again inside a month. So: for your actions, you are grounded for one week. You’re allowed one phone call per day, up to thirty minutes, and restricted computer use for your online classes. No texting, no email beyond what you need for class.”

Ginger nodded, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“After the week is up, you are allowed to continue seeing Baljeet. If you are alone in a car with him, you are to go directly to your destination. If we catch you pulling something like this again, we will not be so lenient.

“As for what the two of you are allowed to do together, I don’t think we can put that genie back into the bottle. Baljeet’s parents agree. So: assuming your chores are done, and your schoolwork is done, and you keep your grades up, then what the two of you do in either of your bedrooms with the door closed is your business.”

Ginger boggled. “...but...”

“Ginger, we got you on birth control when you started dating for a reason. We knew this was a possibility. We’re not upset about you having sex.”

Dad snorted.

Mom laughed, and looked at her watch again. “Okay, we’re mostly not upset. We’ve seen how much you two love each other. We’re upset about you choosing to express it in an irresponsible way. If we’d realized that you were considering this, I like to think we’d have made the same offer.

"Now, so you know: the rumor mill has pretty much full knowledge of last night. We've talked to the parents of your friends who are dating so that they can have appropriate conversations with their children, but several of them had already heard fragments. Part of the reason we're going easy on your punishment is that you're going to have to deal with everybody knowing your business. That's going to be punishment enough, I suspect."

Ginger’s cell phone rang, the ring she only used for Baljeet. Mom said, "Right on time," pulled it out of her pocket and handed it to her.

Mom smiled. “Now, I think somebody wants to talk to you. I’ll be back in half an hour to pick up the phone.”

* * *

Isabella sat at her computer with her phone, still in her nightshirt, texts and Facebook messages flying as the rumor mill spun stories of Ginger and Baljeet’s exploits the previous night.

Her mother Vivian knocked on the open door and coughed.

“What’s up, Mom?” she asked.

“I assume you’ve heard about Ginger and Baljeet?”

“It’s been going around, yes.”

“What have you heard?”

“Ginger’s dad caught them in the back seat of Baljeet’s car. No good word on their punishment.”

“I’ve been talking to Ginger and Baljeet’s parents - they wanted to talk to the parents of all the couples among your friends. Ginger and Baljeet are grounded for a week, and anything beyond that is their business.”

“They aren’t being forced to break up, or get married?”

Vivian laughed. “No, they aren’t. But, we need to talk about you and _mi yerno_.”

Isabella glared at her mother. “He isn’t _tu yerno_.”

Vivian raised an eyebrow and smiled.

Isabella sighed. “Yet.”

Vivian nodded. “So - do I need to be concerned about you and Phineas getting caught similarly?”

“Well, Phineas doesn’t have a car of his own. I suppose he could borrow Ferb’s hot rod, but...ew. It doesn’t even _have_ a back seat.”

"Not what I meant, Isa."

Isabella looked at her mother. “We haven’t gone that far yet. We haven’t even talked about it yet.”

Vivian looked concerned. “Not at all? You two seem so in love, I’d assumed...I’m sorry, I wouldn’t have been joking with you about it if I’d realized.”

Isabella stared at the floor. “It’s...scary. I know I love him, but I don’t know if I’m ready to do more with him. How do you know when you’re ready?”

Vivian came in and sat on the bed, looking across at her daughter. “Abuela would want me to say ‘when you’re married’, but I’m not that big a hypocrite. I’d say...when you really _know_ he’s the one.”

“Mom, by that definition I should’ve been sleeping with him since I was eight.”

Vivian laughed. “I remember. You were ready to marry him that first day they moved in. But that’s not what I mean. You didn’t _know_ then. You hoped. You dreamed. But part of really knowing is knowing that he feels the same way about you. It’s knowing him as more than just friends. Is he really exactly what you were hoping for before you started dating? I remember you having issues with the difference between your fantasy version of him and reality.”

“Yeah, that was kind of awkward. We got through it, though. The real version of him is much better than the fantasy one was.”

“Oh?” Vivian tilted her head, intrigued.

“Fantasy Phineas always wanted to do exactly what I wanted. Kind of like a puppet. Real Phineas comes up with cool things to do all the time, and includes me in all of it. He's always active, always thinking. He's hard to keep up with. He surprises me." She paused, and in a spirit of honesty added, "He drives me up the wall sometimes."

“That’s normal. Your father drives me up the wall sometimes too. Can I make a suggestion?”

“Always.” _And history will bear me out on that,_ Isabella left unsaid.

“Talk to him. If you can’t talk to him about it, your relationship definitely isn’t ready, but seeing that he’s getting a similar talk this morning, he may even bring the subject up.”

“And then he borrows Ferb’s car?”

Vivian rolled her eyes. “No, we’ll leave that one to Ginger and Baljeet. I have talked to Linda and Lawrence, and we have agreed to lift the rules about keeping your bedroom doors open when you’re alone together in there. But it’s not like we aren’t out of the house enough to give you two plenty of opportunities together anyway.”

* * *

Phineas put his breakfast dishes in the dishwasher and started heading toward the back yard to join Ferb, already thinking underneath the tree. As he reached the door, his father, behind him, asked, “Phineas, can we talk for a couple minutes?”

“Sure, Dad. What’s up?”

“Has the rumor mill gotten to you yet about Ginger and Baljeet?”

Phineas shook his head. “I don’t think so. What happened?”

“It seems that they got caught in the act last night in the back seat of his car, by her father.”

Phineas boggled. “Ginger and Baljeet? Really? I never would have picked them for the first ones to...” He trailed off as he suddenly realized to whom he was talking.

Lawrence nodded. “They’re both grounded for a week, with anything beyond that being their own business. However, Ginger’s mother gave us a call and pointed out that having a talk with you about expectations might be wise, seeing that you’ve been going out with Isabella for some time. I take it from your comment that you two have not gotten to that point?”

Phineas looked away, blushing. “No, we haven’t. I’ve been meaning to talk to her about it, but...it’s kind of an awkward thing to bring up. I don’t want to rush her into something she doesn’t want yet. How do you know when you’re ready?”

Lawrence gestured to a kitchen chair. “Have a seat, Phineas.” Sitting himself, he waited for Phineas to join him before continuing. “I would say, when you know that the two of you, and your relationship, are all ready to deal with any foreseeable consequences.”

“Like what?”

“Sex can bring a couple closer together, or push them apart. Once you bring it into a relationship, it’s hard to remove even if it’s not the right thing for the two of you yet. It’s easy to use it as a substitute for building the emotional part of your relationship, instead of a tool for doing so. And, well, there are always issues involving pregnancy.”

“Isabella’s on birth control pills. She told me about her mother getting her a prescription for them just after we started dating.”

“Yes, Vivian mentioned that. But they aren’t 100% effective. And...hm. I don’t believe I’ve told you the full story of how Ferb came to be. I think it might be instructive?”

Phineas nodded.

“I was in my third year at university, and met a girl named Millicent. Lovely girl, fascinating long green hair, a bit reckless, but she quite stole my heart. We started dating, and shortly thereafter...got physical, shall we say? And since we were reckless and didn’t take appropriate precautions, she got pregnant. I was shocked, but knew what I had to do. I asked her to marry me.”

“And?”

“She said no. She chose to carry the child to term, and I thought we had the start of a happy family. I was going to ask her to marry me again. And then, when Ferb was five months old, she left a note saying she couldn’t stay with us anymore, and I haven’t seen or heard from her since.”

Phineas sat back. “Valentine’s Day, right? Mom mentioned that at some point. What did you do?”

“Well, I finished my degree - I was in my last semester by then - with my parents’ help, and then I got an offer to come to Danville University as a research assistant. I jumped at the chance to create a new life for Ferb and myself. One day I wandered into an antique store and met a wonderful woman named Linda, recently widowed with two young children.”

“Mom. And Candace and me.”

“Yes. We started seeing each other, and soon realized that we really had something special. The way you and Ferb took to each other just made it more obvious.”

“Huh. I never knew.”

“Well, I don’t go about spreading the tale for obvious reasons. I have told Ferb, when he was old enough. And not that I’d change any of it - it all worked out for the best, I think, but it was difficult to see that sometimes.”

“So, I need to be ready to deal with an unexpected child?”

“I’m not saying you need to be picking out baby clothes after your first time, but if you can’t look at Isabella and think that, were it to somehow happen, the two of you could make it work together...maybe you need to reconsider.

“Now, all that said, I do need to let you know what the new rules are. We have talked to Isabella's parents, and have come to the conclusion that it’s better to provide you two a safe environment to do things in rather than trying to prevent you from doing them. Therefore, the rule about keeping your bedroom door open if you and Isabella are alone in there is lifted.”

Phineas sat up straight. “...wait, you guys are just going to _let_ us...?”

“Yes, we are, Phineas. So long as you do so responsibly, and safely.”

“Wow.”

“Isabella should be getting a similar discussion. Perhaps you can compare notes; it looks like she’s just on her way over now, actually. Why don’t you send Ferb in so I can talk to him?”

Phineas gave his father a hug. “Thanks, Dad.” He headed into the backyard, arriving just as Isabella opened the gate. She looked at him with an oddly introspective smile.

"Ferb, Dad wants to talk to you," Phineas said, and the green-haired boy stood and walked into the house, closing the door behind him.

Isabella stood an arm's length or so away from him, trying to figure out how to begin an awkward conversation.

Phineas reached over and brushed a stray hair back behind her ear. "I don't know what's weirder," he said. "Ginger and Baljeet being the first ones among our friends to go all the way, or our parents giving us permission to do the same."

"Well, if not Ginger and Baljeet, then who?" Isabella asked.

"I would have guessed Django and Adyson, myself. Or...maybe us."

Her breath caught, and she looked him in the eyes. "I...I've been trying to figure out how to talk to you about that."

"Likewise." He took a deep breath. "I love you, Isabella. And...I don't know if we're ready yet to go that far, but I'd like to start moving in that direction. I'm not sure quite what we're ready for, but I think it's more than we've done."

She stepped closer to him and put her hand on his cheek. "And I love you. I want this. Not right now; I'm a little scared at the idea. More than a little, actually. But I think I'm ready for more too.”

He took her into his arms; she nestled in, her hands on his chest. “Then let’s see what we can do together,” he said. “Not today, I think, but maybe tomorrow or the day after we can find some alone time in one of our rooms.”

She smiled and buried her head into his shoulder. “That sounds _really_ good. And beyond that...I want...” She trailed off, searching for words.

“Anything you want, I’ll give to you if I can.”

She sighed happily. “I know. I’m just thinking, I want our first time to be...something special.”

“Special like how? Wedding night special?”

She pulled back enough to look at him. “I don’t think either of us is willing to wait that long, unless that’s a ring box in your pocket.”

He laughed, a bit embarrassed. “No, that it’s not. But, seriously. Special how?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know exactly. I want it to mean something to us. Not just, 'hey, my parents aren't home so let's do it'. And no inventions,” she quickly added.

He turned down his lip in a mock pout. “Aww. Not even a little one?”

She laughed. “No. The last thing I want is to be halfway through and get teleported somewhere else. I’m sure you can think of something special that doesn’t involve an invention of some sort.”

He pulled her close and kissed her. “I think I can,” he said. “Give me a couple weeks? That’ll give us time to take some steps along the way.”

“That sounds good.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ferb’s hot rod borrowed from karly05’s Ferbnessa series. Vivian referring to Phineas as ‘mi yerno’ (‘my son-in-law’) borrowed from Lowrider’s ‘Summer of Love’.
> 
> Yes, Ginger’s parents are totally going with the absolute worst case scenario in describing what could have happened. It’s pretty much what you do under the circumstances.


	4. Play Ball

It took a couple days for Phineas and Isabella to arrange for time alone to explore. Her father was off at work, and her mother was out running errands for several hours; despite being told they could be in either of their bedrooms with the door closed, the thought of doing things with a parent in the house was a mood-killer for both of them.

She met him at the door wearing a tight white shirt without a bra and a short pair of denim shorts - they both knew what was planned today, and she didn't see any point in making things difficult. He was wearing a light blue shirt she’d bought him, and denim shorts of his own. She kissed him deeply in greeting, her hand running through his tousled red hair, and he responded in kind, his hands running down her back to her rear and back up.

He nibbled at her ear, and whispered, “We should probably move somewhere else. Or at least close the door.”

She giggled, and closed the door before pulling him toward the stairs up to her room.

* * *

He’d been in her room before, but never with this sort of intention. She closed the door behind them, just in case her mother came home early. Phineas stood there as if stuffed, unsure just what to do. Smiling, she pulled him toward her twin bed.

“Relax, Phineas. It’s okay,” she told him. He lay down beside her, looking down their bodies. They’d lain like this many times before, just kissing, but now...her breasts bobbed a bit as she shifted on the bed, and his breath caught.

“Do you want to wait a bit?” she asked. “We don’t have to try today if you don’t want to.”

He shook his head. “No, it’s okay. It just hit me what we’re talking about doing eventually. But that’s for later. What’s today’s plan?” He smiled and ran his hand gently up her side and back.

“I think that, for today, we see what we can do while keeping our shorts on. That sound okay?”

He nodded, and ran his hand back up her side, curving up along the swell of her breast. She sighed in pleasure, so he continued, his hand gently stroking the side of her breast through her shirt.

“That feels good, but I want to explore you first,” she said, pulling at the bottom of his shirt. “Can we take this off?”

He sat up and pulled off his shirt, and she reached up to touch his necklace. It was a meteorite stone, wrapped in silver, that she had given him for Christmas the first year they’d dated. “You still wear it,” she said.

“Of course. I don’t take it off unless I have to.”

She smiled, and gently pushed him back on the bed. She stroked his bare chest, tickling the scattered red hairs, and he relaxed from the slow caresses. She gently rubbed one of his nipples, causing him to jump slightly; she looked up at him in concern, but he smiled and said, “It’s okay. Just different. Feels good.”

She rubbed the other, and he hmmed in pleasure. She played with them for a few minutes, seeing what reactions she could get, before Phineas reached over and pulled her over on top of him. She sat up, straddling him, and he could feel his erection pressing against her through both their shorts.

Hesitantly, he reached for the hem of her shirt. She smiled at him and pulled it up over her head, revealing her bare breasts to him for the first time. He looked up at her, amazed by the beauty he saw. He slid his hands up her sides, rubbing the sides of her breasts, and then paused and looked her in the eyes. She nodded slightly, and then her eyes closed and she inhaled sharply as his fingers brushed forward.

He continued to stroke her breasts and stomach, reaching around to run his hands along her bare back, until he noticed that she was moving her hips, rocking her pelvis against his erection through their shorts. Her movements got more pronounced, and she gave a small gasp before her eyes suddenly popped open in fear.

She reared back as if she’d been burned, jumping off of him and retreating across the length of the bed. He sat up, asking, “What’s wrong? What did I do? I’m sorry, whatever it was.”

She caught her breath, and said, “I’m sorry. It wasn’t you. It just...got to be too much. More intense than I was ready for all of a sudden.” She breathed in deeply, calming down, and he tried not to stare at the way her breasts moved as she did so. She smiled at him wanly, and reached over to grab her shirt.

* * *

They sat next to each other on the living-room couch, recuperating with glasses of lemonade. Isabella ran through what had happened in her head - she’d taken off her shirt, and Phineas had been enjoying touching her breasts, and then she’d been thrusting against him and terrifyingly close to an orgasm she wasn’t really ready for yet. _And all of a sudden my brain hit the panic button, and proceeded to completely flip both of us out._

He looked over at her, a hint of concern still furrowing his brow.

“It’s not your fault, Phineas. I just got scared all of a sudden,” she said.

“I don’t like scaring you,” he said. “What was so scary?”

She looked down at her lap. “I don’t know. It was just...it got to be too much.  I almost...um...you know.”

“...I do?”

“I almost came,” she said, staring at her lap and blushing. “And it scared me how easily it happened. How much parts of me want that...want _you_.”

“Why is that scary?” he asked, gently stroking her back.

She looked up at him, then back down. “I think...I’m just scared that we aren’t as ready for this relationship as we think we are.”

“Why would you think that?”

“I don’t know. The girls on the softball team liked to call you my starter boyfriend.”

“Weren’t those the ones who hardly ever kept a boyfriend for more than a month?”

She nodded, and looked at him. “It doesn’t bother you at all that we’ve never dated anyone but each other?”

He shook his head, a smile crossing his face. “No. No, it doesn’t.” He put his arm around her and hugged her from the side. “We’ve got something incredible here. Something that those girls can only dream of. And the odds of us ever finding something as incredible as this again...astronomical.”

She turned toward him, her head resting on his shoulder. “You really think so? They kept saying that it was absolutely impossible for us to end up together forever without some more experience.”

He kissed the top of her head, and said, “How many impossible things have we done already? I can’t see one more being much of a challenge, especially not when it’s this important.”

She laughed, and snuggled into his shoulder. “Thank you. I need to remember that.”

“Do you want to wait a bit before we try going any further? I have some ideas for your ‘something special’, but it’s going to take me a bit longer than I thought to get everything set up.”

“That would probably be a good idea,” she said. “Let’s see how we’re doing in a week or two.”


	5. Two Talks and an Unexpected Date

Four former Fireside Girls gathered in the park to talk to Ginger, who’d just been ungrounded the day before.

“So what was it like?” Milly asked eagerly.

“It hurt a bit at first the first time, but after that...I can’t put it into words. I just felt so close to Baljeet - emotionally, obviously we were close physically..." She paused and glared at her friends. "If you want me to keep going, you’ll need to stop laughing, guys.”

Isabella, sitting back a bit, asked, “So where were you yesterday? Did they make you stay an extra day?”

Ginger blushed. “No, Baljeet and I decided to spend yesterday together. When we got caught, I was so worried they would make us break up. To be told that, instead, they were going to let us keep doing what we were doing as long as we kept it private...”

Adyson sat up. “Wait, what? All we got told was that you were grounded for a week.”

Ginger’s eyes got large. “Um...”

Isabella decided to help. “If it was anything like the talks Phineas and I got, she probably got told that what they do in private is their business. Right, Ginger?”

Blushing furiously, Ginger nodded.

Adyson turned on Isabella. “Really? Because I got told that if Django and I tried anything even remotely like that, I was grounded until I turn thirty.”

Milly nodded agreement. “My mother said about the same thing, and Buford’s mom went into full-bore hellfire and brimstone at the thought.”

Gretchen shrugged. As the only girl in the group without a boyfriend, her parents hadn’t even been contacted.

The conversation sputtered to a halt briefly, until Isabella tried to bring it back to life. “So, Ginger, you didn’t say...what did you and Baljeet do yesterday?”

“Um...he came over and took me out to lunch, and then we went back to my house. My dad is back on day shift, so we had the house to ourselves, and...well, I was _really_ happy to see him again...”

“And?” Milly asked salaciously.

“And it’s a lot better in a bed than the back seat of a car, I think.”

* * *

Across the street at Mr. Slushy Dawg, the boys were gathered for lunch, and to interrogate Baljeet.

“‘jeet! How the heck did you get Ginger to put out?” Buford asked.

“I did not ‘get her to put out’. Our relationship had reached a point where making love was the logical next step for us to take,” Baljeet said huffily.

“That sounds like nerd talk for ‘she put out’ to me. Now, what were the magic words? I need to try to get parallel with Milly.”

Django shook his head. “There are no magic words, Buford. It’s all a question of the two of you and your relationship. Sometimes there are issues where one of you isn’t ready yet. Adyson’s dad would go completely nuts if he caught us doing _anything_ , so she’s really not ready for much. I mean, my parents...well, you know my parents. I half suspect they think I’m gay and Adyson’s my beard, because that’s the only reason they can think of for us _not_ doing it yet.”

Ferb decided he’d had enough of that particular conversation, and, finishing his hot dog, wandered across the street to the park. Phineas nodded at him on the way out. He saw the girls off in the distance talking, presumably questioning Ginger the same way the boys were questioning Baljeet. _You got caught going too far, so now all your friends who wish they'd done the same will wring the juicy details out of you as punishment. Most likely within a month they'll all have taken the same step._

He sat down on a bench. _And I'm jealous of you all. It's bad enough watching Phineas and Isabella curling up under the tree together every day. Now I get to know that all my friends are ‘getting parallel’, as Buford so artfully put it._

He sighed, thinking of his own lack of a love life. _Vanessa’s not coming back. Just as I was getting old enough to have a chance._

_I haven't seen her in over two years._ _I guess I can take a hint. Eventually._

“Hi, Ferb,” a familiar voice said from off to one side. Gretchen was wandering down the path, away from the crowd of girls.

He nodded at her, and gestured to the bench beside him.

“I bet you got as sick of hearing the boys talk about their girlfriends as I got of hearing the girls talk about their boyfriends,” she said, sitting next to him.

He nodded in understanding.

“You know how it is. Being the last one dateless. They’re all comparing notes with Ginger - what was it like, what worked, what can they get their boyfriends to do, what are they willing to do, what will their parents let them get away with. I don’t think they even noticed when I left. Probably the same with you and the boys?”

“Phineas noticed,” he said.

“But nobody else did. They were all talking to Baljeet about how he got into Ginger’s pants?”

“Pretty much.”

He looked over at her, as if he were really seeing her for the first time. The gangly glasses-wearing girl had grown up into an attractive, curvy young woman, and he found himself wondering why no boy had snatched her up yet. Too intimidated by her intelligence, perhaps? Scared off by the glasses? Or just that her social circle was dominated by girls who already had boyfriends? _And why did I never notice? Too hung up on a woman who’s too old for me? Well, that’s a fixable problem._

_Carpe diem, as Phineas would say._

“Gretchen? Would you like to go see a movie?” he asked.

He watched as she thought about what he’d just asked her, and a smile slowly spread across her face. She took his hand and stood up, pulling him along with her. “Let’s go see what’s showing.”


	6. The Best Laid Plans

Gretchen smiled up at Ferb, pulling him back down for a kiss. He could feel her bare skin all along his as they stretched out on her bed, relaxing together in the afterglow of their first time.

“Again?” she asked, a mischievous grin on her face.

“Tempting,” he said, his hand sliding up to caress her breast, “but I’m not sure I’m up to the challenge. And I only brought one condom, so we’d need a break to restock if nothing else. But I need to head home soon for dinner - Candace is stopping by tonight to talk about her wedding.”

“It’s next summer, isn’t it? Why is she worrying about it now?”

“Because she’s Candace, and that’s what she does?”

Gretchen laughed. “We should probably get dressed, I suppose.”

Ferb watched her as she put on her clothes. _Is this love?_ he thought. _It’s lust, that’s for certain. And friendship. If you put them together...is that love?_

He shook his head and pulled on his pants.

“Would you like to come to dinner?” he asked. “Candace would probably love the chance to get to know you.”

“Nah, it’s okay. Grandma’s coming over here tonight, and I was looking forward to seeing her.”

Ferb nodded, and they started heading toward the front door. She kissed him as he prepared to leave. “Thank you, Ferb. You know how to show a girl a good time.”

“I’d say the pleasure was all mine, but from your reactions, I’d be lying.”

“Very much so, yes. See you tomorrow?”

“Certainly.”

As he headed home, he pondered how quickly their relationship had moved. Within two weeks, they’d gone from first date to first sexual experience for each other. _Here I thought I was left out in the cold, and we still managed it ahead of Phineas and Isabella. And, I believe, Django and Adyson, although not Buford and Milly._

He wasn’t sure if he was proud of this or not.

* * *

Isabella sat between Phineas and Ferb at the Fletcher-Flynn dinner table, enjoying Phineas’s mother’s championship meatloaf and joining in the family conversation. Candace was running late, but finally arrived just as the dishes were being cleared.

“Candace, love, what’s up?” Lawrence asked.

“So...we need to reschedule the wedding. August 21. This year,” she said. Jeremy, coming in the door behind her, looked nervous.

“Why?” Linda asked, coming in from the kitchen. “Is there some reason...oh.”

Candace blushed, and Jeremy had an incredibly guilty look on his face.

Candace said, “So...yeah. Surprise? In January, you guys are going to be grandparents. A little girl. We just got the ultrasound yesterday. So we need to move the wedding up a bit.”

Linda looked at her daughter for a moment, then gathered her up in a hug. “Congratulations, Candace.” She turned and gave Jeremy a hug as well. "What can we do to help?"

Lawrence nodded at Jeremy, who looked relieved, then turned to look at Phineas and Isabella. Phineas had turned so pale as to be translucent, and from the feeling in the pit of her stomach, Isabella thought she probably looked green with nausea.

* * *

Isabella sat on the couch, idly listening as Lawrence and Jeremy talked about plans for getting Candace through her last semester of school and finding a place for the new family to live. Across the room, Phineas was talking to Candace about...something that was causing Phineas to blush adorably.

Shaking his head, Phineas left Candace and came over toward Isabella, sitting next to her. “So, I didn’t get a chance to ask you before - would you like to go camping with me? It’d be a week from Wednesday, overnight, down in the Danville State Forest.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Camping? Is that the ‘something special’ you had planned? Because after this,” she gestured toward Candace, “I’m not sure I’m up to...”

“It was, but I figured at this point we’d just go and spend some time together. It’s all set up, it’d be a shame to waste it. I think you’ll appreciate it.”

“Isn’t that the day before your birthday? You’re up to something,” she said. “Normally you wouldn’t think of camping as a big deal. What’s up?”

“It’s a surprise.”


	7. Camping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might not make much sense if you haven’t read Back in Time for Dinner. (I don’t guarantee it will make sense if you have, mind you.)

_This had better be one heck of a surprise,_ Isabella thought as they hiked through the woods. Phineas seemed to know where he was going, but all she knew was that they were an hour into the forest and heading generally west toward the Danville river.

She heard the burbling before she saw the small stream heading toward the river, and Phineas led her along it. Memory tickled the back of her head. _This seems familiar. Why? Did I come here with the Fireside Girls?_ The smell of pine was triggering the same memories, but she couldn’t quite place them.

They exited the shelter of the forest, and Isabella gasped. The wide river lay before them, with low plains beyond it. The stream continued down from a small campsite set just on the edge of the trees.

“It’s...where we were when we went back in time. How did you find it?” she asked, amazed.

“I don’t know if it’s the exact site - the exact coordinates were lost when the projector was destroyed. Besides, there’s been an ice age since then that would have moved things around. But...it’s about the right area, and it certainly _looks_ right.”

“It does.” She set her backpack down, then turned to hug him. “Thank you.”

* * *

Isabella and Phineas sat together, watching the sun set across the river. The fire was starting to burn down a bit; with the warm weather, they’d mostly just needed it to cook dinner.

Isabella thought back to the day they’d had - a swim in the river, which had led to some rather passionate kissing in their swimsuits; a delicious dinner of rabbit kabobs with cherry tomatoes, which had made her laugh; and then time just sitting by the fire, being together and watching the birds and other animals in the river.

“You’re really okay with not going all the way tonight? After all the effort you put in to giving me my ‘something special’?” Isabella asked.

“I am,” Phineas replied. “I want our first time to be something we both really want. Not something that you - or I - are doing because of some sense of obligation, or a need to keep up with anyone else.”

“Even though nobody is going to believe that we didn’t?”

“That’s their problem.”

She rested her head on his shoulder. “Why do you put up with me?” she asked.

“Because I love you,” he said simply.

“Why?”

He thought for a moment. “You might as well ask why I breathe air. It’s fundamental to who I am. It’s something I can’t live without.”

She sighed happily. “I can cope with that.”

* * *

The warm night meant they opened up the double-size sleeping bag to sleep on top of it. Isabella had gone into the tent to change into her sleepwear; when she said she was ready, Phineas joined her, already in his pajama pants.

He found her in a light pink nightshirt that covered her down to mid-thigh, curled up on her side. He lay down next to her so they were facing each other, and reached over to rest his hand on her hip, once again marveling at how beautiful she looked.

“It’s been a while since we’ve spent the night together,” he said.

“Over two years ago, or over a hundred thousand years ago, depending on how you count it.”

“We’ve come a long way since then. I remember being too scared to kiss you."

She ran her hand down his arm. “Now we have much more complicated things to be scared of.”

“We do.”

She sighed, and snuggled in close to him. “We’ve been dating for years, and interested in each other forever. Why is it so hard for us to do this, when Ferb and Gretchen could do it after dating for two weeks?”

“Because there’s so much to lose? If something messed up what we’ve got...” He shuddered, and held her closer.

* * *

Isabella lay next to Phineas, listening to him breathing slowly in his sleep. Moonlight through the tent flap showed him dimly, his long and wiry body stretched out on his back across the opened sleeping bag. 

She reached over and rested her arm on his bare chest; he smiled in his sleep.

_I wanted this so much. This big gesture, something special for our first time. And now that it’s here, I can’t do it._

_What am I scared of? I’m not worried about us not being ready for it. I’m not really worried about pregnancy, despite Candace’s surprise. If that happened, we would find a way to make it work._

_We've worked through everything concrete I was afraid of. Now...I think I'm just afraid out of habit._

_If that’s all it is...maybe I can give Phineas a birthday to remember tomorrow._

* * *

Phineas woke up to find Isabella watching him, a tender smile on her face. “Good morning, Phineas. Happy birthday,” she said.

He leaned up on an elbow. “Thank you. Good morning.” Her nightshirt had ridden up to her waist overnight, showing her navel and a small pair of light blue panties. “You are so beautiful,” he said.

Her smile turned mischievous. “So what are you going to do about that?”

Surprised, he looked her in the eyes. “That depends on what you’re up to.”

She took a deep breath, and said, “Whatever you’re ready for. I was thinking about this last night, and...I’m ready to try.”

He brushed her cheek. “You aren’t scared any more?”

“I’m still scared,” she said. “But...I’ve done a lot of things that scared me before. None of them were this important."

_We’ll try for a bit and see if she’s still doing okay,_ he thought. He leaned down and kissed her, and she pulled him in close. His hand started on her hip and began to roam: down the outside of her leg and back up, then around to her butt, then up under her nightshirt to the side of her breast.

He cupped her breast with his hand, feeling the nipple stiffening against his palm. "Just a second," she said, and sat up, dislodging his hand. She pulled the nightshirt up and over her head before lying back down.

He pulled her close again to kiss her mouth, her neck, her shoulders, as her bared breasts pressed against his chest and her hands on his back kept pulling him to her. His hand slid between them, gently stroking her breast as his thumb rubbed across the peak, causing a satisfied hum to come from the back of her throat.

Her hand slid under the waist of his pajamas, pulling them down slightly as she caressed his butt. Her hand drifted around his hip, bringing the pajamas down with it, and he caught it with his hand. _I need to know,_ he thought.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“Yes. I want this. I want _you_ ,” she said.

He nodded, and pushed his pants and underwear down and off with her help. She looked down at his erection, nestled in a patch of red hair, and tentatively reached for it. “May I?” she asked.

He nodded, unable to speak at the thought. She gently stroked a finger along the underside, making him gasp. She gently grasped it, sliding her hand up and down, until he caught her wrist. “Keep that up, and I’m going to be done sooner than we want,” he said, causing her to laugh.

Phineas reached over and hooked his thumb in the waistband of her panties. He looked at her, inquiring.

She nodded, and helped him slide them down her legs. He looked at her, from her black hair and sparkling blue eyes, over the curves of her breasts and hips and the thatch of black hair between her legs, and along her athletic legs, and shook his head in awe.

She smiled. “You like what you see?”

“I do...you are so gorgeous, Isabella.”

He reached over and ran his hand along her side, enjoying the feeling of her uninterrupted bare skin. She rolled onto her back, and he followed, his hand sliding up her inner thigh and into the thatch of hair between her legs. Now it was her turn to gasp as he began to rub, and he felt her moistening rapidly as his fingers caressed her. Her eyes closed as she started to rock her hips against his hand, her breathing getting heavy. He marveled at the reactions he was getting out of her. _I always thought about how amazing it would feel to make love to her; I never considered how incredible it is to make her feel this good._

“Ready?” he whispered. She nodded, and he knelt between her legs. She reached up and pulled him down and into her.

* * *

Phineas’s muscles tensed and he froze against her as his climax hit him. Isabella held him closely against herself, running a hand through his hair, as he slowly relaxed onto her.

She had been fairly close to climax even before he entered her, so she hadn’t taken long at all; Phineas had only taken a short while longer. _Guess we were both rather excited about it all._

Catching his breath, he pushed himself up to look her in the eyes. It felt like there were no barriers between them, at least for the moment. She could see all the way down into his soul, and all she could see in there was love. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gah. So hard to write. I’m still not 100% thrilled with it, but it’s the best I can do right now. Trying to balance M vs. MA/E ratings, characterization and sex...I begin to understand the appeal of writing PWP.


	8. Epilogue

Phineas lay back next to Isabella on her narrow bed, breathing deeply. He looked down at the pool of black hair splayed across his chest, and ran his hand up and down Isabella’s bare back. She hugged him tightly and sighed happily.

_It’s almost better watching her reactions than enjoying it myself_ , he thought. _Almost._

Sounds from downstairs indicated that Vivian had gotten home earlier than expected; they heard her unpacking groceries and coughing from the summer cold she seemed to have picked up. Isabella started guiltily, but Phineas hugged her more tightly.

“We aren’t doing anything wrong,” he said. “I don’t intend to lie about or hide what we’re doing.”

Vivian came up the stairs, and asked through the door, “Isa? Are you in there?”

“Yes,” Phineas answered.

Outside the door, Vivian laughed until another coughing fit hit her. “Okay, then. When you two are decent, there’s snacks downstairs if you’d like some. Need to keep your strength up.”

* * *

Ferb looked at Gretchen, sitting across from him in the Mr. Slushy Dawg booth, and saw that her eyes were starting to tear up.

“It’s not working, is it?” Gretchen asked.

Sadly, Ferb shook his head.

“We tried,” she said, reaching over and taking his hand. “I like you, Ferb, but...”

“But it isn’t love,” Ferb finished. “For either of us. My fault. We jumped into bed too fast...”

“That wasn’t your fault, Ferb. That was a very mutual decision, and I enjoyed every minute of it. If you’d like to keep that up while we’re looking for someone to fall in love with...”

“No, I can’t. I’m sorry.”

She sighed deeply, nodding. “Thank you for everything, Ferb. Even if it didn’t work out for us, you’ve set one heck of a standard for my next boyfriend to live up to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Timeline-wise, Founding the Foundation starts a week after this.
> 
> Thank you all for putting up with me. As always - your time is a gift, and I’m glad you’ve shared it with me.
> 
> There’s a little bit more to come here - the next chapters have some deleted scenes, making this a sort of DVD Special Edition, I suppose.


	9. Deleted Scene 1: No Questions Asked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story began as part of ‘Firsts’ - the original idea was alternating chapters between a ‘flashback’ first and part of the lead-up to Phineas and Isabella’s first time.
> 
> The original storyline was different as well; a couple scenes I liked didn’t survive the rewrite, so they’re presented below.
> 
> First off: in the first pass, Vivian wasn’t quite as proactive in getting Isabella on birth-control pills. This got changed because it didn’t fit where I wanted to go with Vivian’s response; she was initially a bit more hesitant at the idea of her daughter having sex. Also, Ginger and Baljeet’s Excellent Adventure wasn’t the trigger for this talk; Isabella decided to talk to her mother about birth control before talking to Phineas about going further. (Likewise, Phineas decided to talk to Lawrence before talking to Isabella; that conversation didn’t change as much.) The main differences here are the ‘no questions asked’, which Isabella decided to take literally, and the comment on Jewish guilt and Catholic guilt cross-breeding.

"Mom?" Isabella asked, hesitantly walking into the kitchen.

"Yes, Isa?" Vivian replied, making matzo tortillas for dinner.

"Remember back when we had 'the talk,' you said that if I felt I needed birth control, you'd make the doctor's appointment for it, no questions asked?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Yes, I do."

"Could you please make the appointment?"

Vivian looked at her for a moment, then said, "Sure thing, Isa." Vivian turned toward the phone, and Isabella fled for her bedroom.

_I do not believe I just did that._

* * *

Isabella sat at her desk checking her email when the calendar invite came in. A week from Thursday, 10:15am with Dr. Hirano.

She started counting. _Ten...nine...eight...seven..._

There was a knock at her door. _She must have hurried._

"You can come in, Mom."

"I put the appointment on your calendar."

"Thank you, Mom."

"Isa, I know I said no questions asked, but that doesn't mean you aren't allowed to tell me. If you want, of course."

_The biggest downside to Mexican-Jewish heritage: Catholic guilt and Jewish guilt cross-breeding. I'd better talk before she pulls out the big guns._

"Phineas and I haven't done anything along those lines. We don't have any plans to.I'm just making sure that, if something like that happens, we don't give you grandchildren accidentally."

Vivian nodded appreciation of this. "That makes sense. It's a good idea to plan ahead for this sort of thing - girls who get swept up in the moment become mothers. Do you think the two of you are ready for a step like that?"

"That was a question, Mom. You said 'no questions asked.'"

Vivian rolled her eyes. "Fine. It would certainly make your poor overworked mother feel better to know if her only beloved daughter, just barely 17, really thinks she's ready to start having sex with her boyfriend. That was a statement, not a question."

Isabella nodded, acknowledging the point. "To answer your non-question, I don't know yet. When...how do you know when the time is right?"

"Abuela would want me to say 'When you're married,' but...I'm not a big enough hypocrite for that." Isabella smiled, confused, and Vivian continued. "I'd say...when you know - really _know_ \- he's the one."

"By that definition, Mom, I should've been sleeping with him since I was 8."

Vivian laughed. "I remember. You were ready to marry him that first day they moved in. But you didn't _know_ then. You hoped. Part of knowing is knowing that he feels the same way about you. Part of it is knowing him as you can't when you're just friends. Is he _really_ exactly what you expected him to be?"

Isabella just looked at her expectantly.

"Really, Isa?"

Isabella barely suppressed a smirk.

Vivian shook her head. "Fine. Your poor mother would love to know if he's really what you expected."

Isabella laughed. "I'm sorry, Mom. You can ask questions. But, no, he's not. He's a person, not an ideal, and in many ways he's better than I imagined."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And from there, the conversation went more like the current one.


	10. Deleted Scene 2: Patches

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second deleted scene was entirely replaced due to a decision to graduate the girls from Fireside Girls instead of having a Gold Award equivalent that they were working toward, and moving Baljeet and Ginger’s experience more into the forefront. (In the first version, it was more of a running background joke than anything else.)

Isabella was the last one in the Fireside Girls clubhouse that day.  The troop was supposedly gathered to work on their Golden Flame award projects, but it seemed that today everyone was more interested in gossip.

“So, Isabella,” Ginger began, “Stacy told me she saw Phineas buying lubricant at the pharmacy the other day.”

Isabella blushed and was trying to figure out a response when Gretchen said, “What, hoping somebody else gets the ‘I Lost My Virginity In The Backseat of My Boyfriend’s Honda Accord’ patch, Ginger?”

Ginger looked at Gretchen sharply and was about to speak when Isabella said, “Cool it, both of you.  Ginger, I’m aware, but no, I’m not eligible for any new patches at this time.  Gretchen, first off, it’s called the ‘Safe Sex’ patch.  Second, Ginger’s hardly the only girl in the troop who has it.  Third, it’s not like you aren’t seeing if you can get Ferb to help you earn the same patch.”

Gretchen looked away; Ginger smirked.

Isabella continued, “And fourth, Baljeet drives a Civic.”


End file.
